The Moonlight Pegasus, #1 Read online

  The

  Moonlight Pegasus

  SECOND EDITION

  Also by C. A. Sabol

  The Moonlight Pegasus

  The Moonlight Pegasus

  Also by C. S. Johnson

  Birds of Fae

  The Princess and the Peacock

  Favan & Flew

  One Flew Through the Dragon Heart

  Once Upon a Princess

  Beauty's Curse

  Beauty's Quest

  Beauty's Kiss

  Beauty's Gift

  The Divine Space Pirates

  The Heights of Perdition

  The Breadth of Creation

  The Price of Paradise

  The Divine Space Pirates Trilogy

  The Legend of Eydis

  Eydis: The Island of the Dragon Bride

  The Moonlight Pegasus

  The Moonlight Pegasus

  One Night of Moonlight

  The Realms Beyond the Rainbow

  Kitsuneko

  The Starlight Chronicles

  Searching

  Slumbering

  Awakening: A Christmas Episode of the Starlight Chronicles

  Calling

  Falling: A Starry Knight Episode of the Starlight Chronicles

  Submerging

  Seeing: A Wedding Episode of the Starlight Chronicles

  Remembering

  Belonging: A Date Night Episode of the Starlight Chronicles

  Continuing

  Reflecting: A Dream Episode of the Starlight Chronicles

  Outpouring

  Reawakening: A Rebirth Episode of the Starlight Chronicles

  Everlasting

  Awakening: A Christmas Episode of the Starlight Chronicles

  Till Human Voices Wake Us

  Across the Floors of Silent Seas

  Till Human Voices Wake Us (Coming Soon)

  Standalone

  A Knight's Quest for the Holy Grail

  Night of Blood and Beauty

  The Girl of All My Memes

  Should I Go to College? What About Student Loan Debt?

  Good Writing is Like Good Sex: Sort of Sexy Thoughts on Writing

  Watch for more at C. S. Johnson’s site.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Also By C. A. Sabol

  Also By C. S. Johnson

  C. A. Sabol

  To Get Awakening (A Special Christmas Episode of The Starlight Chronicles) as a bonus for picking up this book, | Click Here

  Or Download It At: | https://www.csjohnson.me/awakening

  THE MOONLIGHT PEGASUS

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 | The Beginning of the End

  Chapter 2 | The Princess and the Protector

  Chapter 3 | Another Rebellion?

  Chapter 4 | Memories

  Chapter 5 | Two Guys, a Girl, and a Rebellion

  Chapter 6 | The Darkness Takes Hold

  Chapter 7 | Unending Nightmare

  Chapter 8 | Pegasus

  Chapter 9 | The Princess Makes a Friend

  Chapter 10 | Knowing Love and Guilt

  Chapter 11 | “My Precious Child”

  Chapter 12 | In the Beginning ...

  Chapter 13 | Evil Gathers

  Chapter 14 | The Seal of Blood

  Chapter 15 | The Pure Light Rekindled, Love Revealed!

  Chapter 16 | The Hardest Challenge Yet

  To Get Awakening (A Special Christmas Episode of The Starlight Chronicles) as a bonus for picking up this book, | Click Here

  Or Download It At: | https://www.csjohnson.me/awakening

  ☼Prologue☼ | Wingdinger

  *☼*

  Stephanie Adams, Agape Authors | Stephanie Adams is a book cover artist who also offers several other book formatting services. She works from home helping independent authors order quality work for reasonable prices. Check out her website, http://www.agapeauthors.com/ for more information. | THE MOONLGIHT PEGASUS

  Further Reading: Beauty's Curse

  Also By C. A. Sabol

  Also By C. S. Johnson

  C. A. Sabol

  COPYRIGHT © 2007 BY C. A. Sabol. Copyright © 2016 by C. S. Johnson. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher.

  FOR ANYONE WHO HAS a special dream.

  Also dedicated with much affection to the Rhodes family: Jeff, Kelly, Douglas, Gretta, and Carson. Especially Jeff, who gave me constant encouragement through his words, dreams through his songs, and fatherly love throughout our time together. I love you. I thank God so much for you all.

  For the second edition, I would like to add Evan onto the previous list, as well as my own special son and daughter. My mother in particular is also worthy of a special thanks. Time has passed, and my appreciation for families has grown, as mine been my support system, a comfort and refuge in times of trouble. I can only hope I will carry on the legacy I have been given.

  To Get Awakening (A Special Christmas Episode of The Starlight Chronicles) as a bonus for picking up this book,

  Click Here

  Or Download It At:

  https://www.csjohnson.me/awakening

  AUTHOR’S NOTE ON THE 2016 SECOND EDITION

  Dear Reader,

  It seems as though a lifetime has passed since I set about writing this work, back when I was struggling in high school and working two jobs. I remember those cold nights, where I would work on this manuscript in the front seat of my car in the parking lot of one job, my computer pressed up against the steering wheel and my feet sore from my hard shoes. Watching my breath warm the windshield against the winter months. Waiting for inspiration to strike as the clock counted down on my break time.

  Maybe it is because I remember it so well that it seems hard to believe that nearly ten years have passed since its publication, originally by Publish America (Now American Star Books) in 2007. But here I am, having graduated high school as well as college and graduate school, now married with children in a new town and almost a nearly new life.

  There have been some things that haven’t changed, however, despite all that did happen.

  The presence and realness of God is still there, as is the battle inside me. Some days I struggle with how far he seems, and other days he is still so real I feel like I could wake up and see him, standing over my bed, his hand on my brow, as a peaceful, loving father keeping watch over me.

  The Moonlight Pegasus was inspired by a number of things, as these things usually are. At fifteen, when I began writing this, I was in love with the idea of warfare, having no real experience with it. And I was—am—in love with the idea of falling in love, finding the arms outstretched and ready to catch me as soon as I let go of fear. I was also in love with TV more than I’d like to admit as an adult, and reading, which I will gladly boast of. Reading through this again, I can still see many of my favorite things in here, which have a special nod in this work. Of course, “Footprints” remains in its special place, right at the beginning, but there are others, as well.

  Part of the reason I have kept my C. A. Sabol name as the author of this work is a nod in itself; the girl who wrote this has grown up and found the world much less to her liking than she’d ever thought in some cases, and much more pleasantly surprising in others. I think my younger self would be if not proud, at least understanding to some of my choices, and very happy with the results of others. She would have been relieved on many levels to find someone who loved her enough to want to marry her. (You might see some of that desperation reflec
ted in some of my characters.) The movement from innocent faith to virtuous faith, the change from being an idealist to a failed idealist and moving onto a redeemed idealist, is a battle where simple several choices, over and over and over again, have made all the difference.

  It was nothing to hope for a bright future as a child; it is painstakingly intentional now that I am an adult.

  But with new experiences, there have been several good ones as well as troublesome. Getting my degree, working in the public and private sectors, writing more, getting married and starting a family, and moving—several, several times moving—have all taught me my hope is not unwarranted. I think of Paul’s words: “Though sorrow may last for a night, joy comes with the morning.”

  While this book might seem to be from a lifetime ago, I know the time that has passed is really nothing in eternity.

  It is my hope that you will enjoy Selene’s journey with her friends and faith as I did—as one who grows up and finds the things that truly matter were always there. I also hope you will hang onto till the very end for a sample chapter of my newer work, Slumbering (Book 1 of The Starlight Chronicles), where you’ll see some of that growing I did, going from C. A. Sabol to C. S. Johnson. I also hope you’ll check out some of my other, more recent work. While I am grateful to The Moonlight Pegasus for allowing me to have my first adventure in the world of publishing, I am glad and grateful for the growth in writing and experience I have obtained since then. I’d love to keep up and keep writing for you, my dear reader.

  Until We Meet Again,

  C. A. Sabol Johnson

  THE MOONLIGHT PEGASUS

  ONE NIGHT A MAN HAD a dream ...

  ~ From “Footprints”

  Prologue

  ***

  THERE HAD BEEN A TIME, once long ago, when all dreams had been beautiful.

  The One above looked down from his eternal sitting at his creation, his most beloved dream, below. The planet Sapphira hung in a small corner of the universe, its sea swept lands home to a small population of humans. The shining blue of the waters reflected the light of the bright sun into the far reaches of the surrounding space.

  This one who had dreamed all of this for good now saw that the evil he had tried to expel many millennia ago was slowly beginning to take over the Sapphiran sands.

  Though this one has many names, to his world he was known as the Guardian of Dreams. His heart was heavy and sad; his crystal eyes were a clear reflection of his thoughts as he saw his world begin to die. He had known that this day would come. He had known that it had only been a matter of time before his world would fall prey to the Dark Plague.

  Watching Sapphira fall into the looming darkness, the Guardian of Dreams saw his own kingdom grow apart from the darkened world below. He looked around to see that the lushness of his home, known as the Guardian’s Kingdom, Crystallon, had almost seemed to dim, as though the very poison of his beloved Sapphira had managed to pierce through. But he knew that it was not so; the people of Sapphira had begun rejecting the light, creating a deep chasm between the spotlessness of Crystallon and the impurity of Sapphira.

  The sickness spreading on the land below was one that took root easily in human hearts. The Plague multiplied without struggle, surrounding and dividing love’s pure light between the humans of the world. Encompassing all those gifted with the Guardian’s love in a shell of darkness, the light that radiated from the bright sun below scattered, binding only in small portions to each of the people below. Sapphira’s glittering landscape, her crystal oceans and desert lands, speckled with dots of green foliage and rocky terrain, grew dull and dreary with the onslaught of the Plague’s shadow.

  It was similar to watching the stars come out at the end of a bright, happy day. No one would want to see the end of such a day. The approaching night would be long.

  The light of dreams below dimmed and turned black as the darkness knifed throughout the land.

  The Guardian’s heart wrenched as the dreams steadily faded, growing dark. He knew that the world below could not hear him, could not be with him, without knowing the light. He also knew that he could not let Crystallon be contaminated with the Plague. Though he knew that there would come once again the light of day, the Guardian despaired at the thought of losing his children. The people of Sapphira could not accept this evil sickness, if they were to join him one day in his kingdom. But they could so quickly succumb to the Plague into giving up their light for the thought of power. The Guardian thought about it.

  But now was not the time. There was one way to dispel the darkness. There was only one way to save his people. With the Light of Hope would all the dreariness be consumed. And only would the Light go forth into the world when the night was at its blackest, at its most impervious point.

  The Guardian looked down. There would be those he blessed with a joyous glow, who would keep the light hidden in their hearts. From them would come the one who would give the Light of Hope an entrance into the world of night.

  There would be a fulfillment of time in the world of man, and the Guardian would make it so; but for now, he watched as his world fell into the hands of the traitor.

  “Obsidian,” he murmured to himself. “What have you done?”

  Chapter 1

  The Beginning of the End

  IT HAD BEEN A TRADITION, for as far back as human minds could remember, for the Kings of Sapphira to live and rule in the palace of Diamond City. It was a tradition so deeply rooted in time, nobody really wanted to dig it up. So it was here in Diamond City that the royal family resided.

  The city was named for the sparkling waterfall that flowed out of the stream located at the highest point of the city. Legend said that when the Desert people had first seen the magnificent landscape, it looked just like a diamond; the sunlight reflected off the water, creating a dazzling pathway, flowing down straight into the present Gemstone Oasis. And it was at night that Shira, one of the two small moons that encircled the world, would cast a silver glow on the entire area.

  Despite the several thousands of years since the habitation of the planet by man, the city failed to reflect the complete advancement of current times. Looking around, there was nothing too special about the city, except for the palace. There were no skyscrapers, no soaring towers; instead, there were hovels for houses, stone buildings, and streets inlaid with patterns of old-style bricks. Citizens often remarked how the abundance of trees and plant life in the city caused an unwanted variety of vectors and insects to settle around, but not one of them could stand the thought of tearing down the trees or uprooting the flowers to put in a multi-dimensional skyscraper complex. Sapphira at heart was a world of water and sands; there was only one large landmass, simply called the Continent, on the whole planet, and a variety of islands that sprawled all around. From space, the tiny, sand-covered isles looked like small necklace chains throughout the seemingly endless oceans and seas. And it was only in Diamond City that, located on a high plateau and several slanting hills, the earth could reach high enough in the atmosphere to support plant growth as lushly as it managed. The large green leaves provided shade in the almost constant desert land, the many blooming flowers adding a sweet scent to the courtyards throughout the city, and the monsoon phenomenon that occurred every sixth season drew many of the Desert people to the city every year.

  It was on the highest area of the city’s plateau that the Palace of Diamond City sat. This area, located in the very heart of the city, was often referred to as the Table. The Table was an appropriate name for the plateau, many people thought, because the palace looked like a twinkling centerpiece. The palace was more a large building, made out of a strong granite mineral that shimmered a deep red in the noon sunlight; there were four towers, reaching high into the air. The keep was extensive, and the building also had many additional wings and courtyards, where study and entertainment could take place. The castle was old, and thought to be built by the ancients. It had sunk into the scenery as naturally as though it had
sprouted from a planted seed, at harmony with the nature all around it. There were even special vines with tiny moonflowers growing up around the four towers of the castle. At night, when it was dark, the flowers shone brilliantly with an inner luminescence, adding an eerie, yet magical glow to the castle. The palace’s unique design had been silently set as the standard for which all buildings around it in the city were to be measured.

  The rooms of the palace were elegantly made. Seeing the foliage as a rarity, the kings of olden days had filled the palace with many plants, not just in the greenhouses but all around. Many eloquent features of the rooms were also attributed to the golden lining, the extensive woodworking, and the many exquisite paintings and chandeliers. Out of all these rooms, however, the most grand was that of the Throne Room.

  The Throne Room was based just atop the waterfall; the muffled sound of running water was constantly pouring in through the high, arched windows, especially during the monsoon season. The floor, reaching two hundred yards in length, was interrupted every so often with a tree root sticking up, adding to the charm of the room. The floor was made of smooth, blended green and blue sapphire marble, resembling a large, calm pool of water. There were ornate decorations hanging from the ceiling, and sculptures placed wistfully around the room. However, these things were nothing compared to the main focus of the room, which happened to be the throne itself.

  There was a very old tree that had grown up in the middle of the river. Those who had built the palace had been just as afraid as modern citizens to cut down a tree, so they had merely built the palace around it. The branches of the tree seemed to add support to the ceiling, and several stray limbs provided excellent hanging structures during a festival or a celebration. Sometimes the branches, if they received enough light from the large windows, out of them blossomed small, pink flowers. But it was the very trunk of the tree that caught the eye and held it. At the base of the trunk, it was there was the magnificent throne seat had been made. Some generations ago, having seen the tree as a symbol of power, strength, and endurance, the king at the time had ordered that a throne be carved out of the willowy trunk. Eight large, stately white columns, made out of the smoothest marble stone stood proud and tall, outlining the splendor of the area in front of the throne.